Electric Shock
by IKnowAlma
Summary: As part of Loki's redemption for his crimes, he and Thor are sent to Earth to prevent another war. It would have all gone smoothly if Darcy hadn't shown up with her taser. I hear it's called TaserTrick. Set a good while after The Avengers. AU from the 2nd Thor movie. OOC.
1. Chapter 1 - Freaking Me Out

Electric Shock

Chapter 1 – Freaking Me Out

Sometimes he wondered if the heat was part of his punishment. The sweat swimming down his body and making the metal and leather of his clothing all the more uncomfortable. Did it feel worse because of what he was? In his insanity he had tried to forget that he was Jotun. When he had invaded Midgard with the Chitauri he had outright ignored that he had some control over ice using only his own magic and that of the staff. But he had been trapped in the dark and heat for so long he found his mind occasionally wandered to the truth of what he was.

He wanted desperately to ignore reality. Perhaps that was why he would go through phases where he would spit and snarl in his hatred for Odin and all of Asgard. It was during these moments of rage that he considered himself Loki, Laufey's son. But when he was thoughtful and filled with sorrow he was Loki, Odin's disgraced son. He wanted so desperately to have the love of his family back and yet a part of him felt that it was all still a lie.

He remembered clearly, of course, his return. Frigga had begged Odin openly to have pity and amongst the rage and shame in his adoptive father's eyes Loki could see the mercy. It was the same aggrieved compassion he had seen in his father's eyes when he had realized he'd disappointed him. When he had let himself fall into the ruin of the Bifrost in the hopes of perishing for he had shamed his family. But instead he had survived, met The Other and only furthered his own insanity with both psychical and mental pain.

He winced when light flooded his prison, blinding him temporarily as he felt rough hands pull him to his feet. He was far down one of Asgard's many corridors by the time his eyes finally adjusted. He could not say how much time had passed since his return but in the few guards and servants that saw him as he was escorted to the throne room he saw mixtures of fear. Not just because he was known for his actions but also a certain level of horror for his appearance. He imagined he did not look all that well. He had not eaten while imprisoned. He was unsure if he could die of starvation considering what he was but a part of him also wondered if perhaps the Asgardian's golden apples had something to do with his ability to hunger for a long time without death. Or possibly during his moments of delirium someone had come to feed him and he just could not remember.

He had the decency to be ashamed enough to stare at the floor when he was brought before Odin. When he had first arrived he had looked at him with fury for a time only to cast his eyes away when his father's sorrow had created a disgusting mixture of grief and rage in Loki's chest. He felt schizophrenic in knowing that depending on his state of mind, he would have done the exact same this time however the shamed son was what stood before him today.

His heart ached further when he heard a barely contained sob and glanced to see Frigga standing just behind Odin. Her face was already moist with tears and Loki could not help as his eyes glazed over with his own. All he ever wanted was to be loved as an equal to his brother, to do his parent's proud, do his father proud and in that brief moment he could see he still had the chance to do that. But would the hatred constricting his heart allow him to strive for such a thing or would it drive him mad with anger again?

He heard the doors behind him open a second time and with years of familiarity, recognised the steady beat of Thor's steps. He closed his eyes to his sibling, so much his superior that he did not want the humiliation of having his brother see him cry.

"I have summoned you here today to give you a task of great importance." Odin began. His voice always strong, commanding, held the slightest shimmer of emotion within it, the last of his disappointment which burned Loki worse than any wound or torture anyone could imagine. "It is also my hope that this will be the first of many duties that will bring about the redemption of Loki, Odin's son." He continued causing the younger brother's eyes to snap open and stare at his ashamed father. The love he saw in those ancient eyes was enough to bring a fresh wave of silent tears that he soon realised Thor himself was barely holding in. Emotions flooded Loki. Fear, loathing, sorrow, shame, hatred but most importantly love. He could despise his family for their lies all he wanted. He could scream, fight and lash out at them but deep underneath it all he could not cut out the affection of those he had grown up adoring, worshipping and right now a decent part of him didn't want to try.

"Learning of Thanos' activity, Heimdall has cast his gaze far and wide and while he can not see him he has found another, sworn to serve him and on her way to Midgard." Odin explained, using only his eyes to hold Thor from asking the millions of questions he obviously wanted to the minute he heard mention of his precious Earth. "Her name is Sumati and she seeks relics that were cast to Midgard millennias ago. If she succeeds she will be able to invade Earth with a terrible force and war will break out. I give the task of stopping this plot to my sons." He concluded the last of his disappointment changing to something akin to hope. Loki understood easily that this was an offered second chance.

"We will do you proud, father." Thor spoke up, saluting and bowing to a man he respected greatly as everyone's gaze turned to Loki. He could tell they were all wondering if he would refuse or on the chance he did accept, if it was just a ploy. He did not blame them for he could hardly trust himself let alone expect others to.

"I…I hope to redeem myself…_father_." Loki finally spoke up, his voice husky from misuse. The last word felt strange on his tongue, a mixture of emotions for it. Part of him felt he was unworthy of using it another part felt Odin was unworthy of being called it. It seemed it was all Frigga needed to break the chains of dignity as she wept openly; striding down the steps so quickly that it took a moment for Loki to realize she was holding him in a tight embrace and that the new moisture on his shoulder was not more sweat but her tears. After a minute he awkwardly returned the gesture, feeling Thor's hand on his shoulder seconds later. His surprised gaze only focused on something when Odin joined in on the family embrace when he placed a gentle hand on Loki's head.

It reminded him of the time he had gotten lost once when Odin had taken him and Thor on a hunting trip and he had been shrouded in a mist that even Heimdall could not see through. When he had finally made his way to a place Heimdall could see and returned through the Bifrost he had expected to get in trouble especially since the chaos had been caused by a magic trick he had concocted out of jealousy for the approval Odin had given Thor that day. Instead he had been bundled up in Frigga's arms so quickly he had forgotten all about the list of things he had been planning to do in apology. When she had finally let him go Thor had hugged him as well and then eventually Odin, who he had expected to strike him, had held him so gently but so tightly that Loki hadn't had the capacity to think properly for the rest of the night.

Perhaps it was the mixture of this memory and the return of the feeling of shock associated with realizing you are so loved that caused him to tell the part of his mind that despised the reunion to shut up and get lost.

There were two things Darcy Lewis loved most in the world. The first thing was her taser. Over the years it had proved useful on many occasions. The most significant moment of its use being the time she tased a Norse god which she was still uncertain if she should boast about or bashfully comment on when it came up. The second thing was her phone. Her shiny latest gen iPhone she'd bought with the compensation for confiscating her iPod with the rest of Jane's equipment. It had taken her hours of persuading to convince Foster to use the cash reimbursement they'd initially been given but a few jibes about how it would help them continue their research and she'd given in. Then she had spent the rest of the year dropping hints and Jane caved, granting her the money as an early Christmas present.

That early Christmas present was now part of a large scorch mark on one of the tables filled with research when Jane's attempt at recreating Asgardian technology on her own had incidentally backfired.

"Darcy, if I hear you say one more thing about your iPhone." Jane began noting the glum expression on her assistant's face. She earned a glare for her hostility but Darcy knew that Foster didn't care much when it came to her "superficial passions". She also knew that she could make any number of jibes about Jane's obsession with finding Thor being a "superficial passion" and she would deny it in that clueless way only an untidy science geek not entirely in tune with love could do.

"Do we have insurance?" she asked after a moment of pouting to herself. She noticed her boss rolling her eyes and decided she would have to dig into her own savings to replace the phone. It was probably for the best, she needed to do some shopping anyway. Jane always forgot about things like groceries because she was always so wrapped up in her research. At times Darcy wondered if she was there not to help Jane with the science stuff but to remind her that she was a human being and needed to do things like sleep and eat.

"Whoa, what happened here?" a familiar older voice queried and the two girls glanced to the entrance, seeing Erik Selvig standing there. Both women shouted in pleasant surprise, quickly moving over to hug the man in turn before Jane asked him why he was there. "The main branch of S.H.I.E.L.D might be in need of your research." Selvig answered quickly explaining a series of abnormal weather patterns that could not entirely be attributed to Thor but perhaps another extraterrestrial race.

"This isn't another thing like when Thor came back to Earth and I got sent halfway around the world is it?" Jane asked. Darcy remembered how pissed the young scientist had been when "The Avengers" had shown up in the news and they'd spotted Thor. She wasn't sure who her boss had been angrier at. Erik and S.H.I.E.L.D or Thor himself. Probably Thor because her rage at Erik had vanished completely after learning what had happened to him. To Lewis' awareness he was still seeing counsellors over it.

"No. We're actually hoping he might contact you about it." Selvig commented looking around the familiar "home base" in New Mexico. While they were free to work at S.H.I.E.L.D facilities Jane had a certain level of distrust for them not to mention her original research sight was also close to where the Bifrost would send Thor to Earth if it was ever replaced. Darcy was thankful for these factors because the big secret government agency was less inclined to have the Political Science major helping out who had only been saved by Jane's insistence that she remain as her helper. Victory one for friendship brownie points.

"Usual coffee then?" Darcy piped up with a friendly smile on her face. Before she knew it she was in the kitchen of the repurposed car dealership making coffee for all three of them.

The visit might put Jane Foster at risk and Loki had told Thor as much but his brother had clearly ignored him. The Tesseract had made it easier for them to return to Midgard though it was quite clear that Thor had wanted to be transported to the place the Bifrost would have sent him. He had quickly decided that since Sumati was not on Earth yet, that he had time to make a quick personal visit. Next thing Loki knew his brother had grabbed him as his argument against it was leaving his mouth and he was flying through the air.

Thor landed as close as he could without creating a disturbance before the brothers made their way to the building Thor recognised as his lover's home. He was lucky she was there but Loki wasn't going to make jibes until he felt a little less like the awkward ex-villain he was. Even now he half expected the general populace if not the rest of The Avengers to leap from some hiding place shouting "murderer" and skin him on the spot.

"Okay. I see Erik and Jane on the roof." Thor commented as they got closer. His eyes were alight with joy and excitement as he clapped his brother on the shoulder. "You wait inside until I have explained everything to them and convinced them you are a changed man." Thor informed his younger brother. Before Loki could protest he was gone, needing to only leap onto the roof to join them. The glass doors were locked and with one last glance to where his brother went, Loki used his magic to enter the building feeling he'd be safer from his paranoid attacks inside. He wondered with a sigh how Thor was going to convince them, Doctor Selvig especially, that he was a "changed man". Loki didn't even believe it himself. Even now some part of him was telling him to run while he could and find a way to regain power, maybe even help this Sumati in exchange for safe harbour.

He glanced up when he could hear Erik shouting from the rooftop. Obviously he wasn't taking the news kindly. Loki did not blame him. The mind was a terrible thing to play with and just because his had been shattered did not give him the right to go gallivanting about in others' minds. Mulling over his mixture of guilt and twisted pleasure he did not notice straight away that Selvig's shouting had caught someone else's attention.

Darcy had been sleeping and it had been a nice sleep too. One where she dreamt of being the President of the world government making negotiations with gods about peace treaties and The Avengers were her secret agents that fixed any problems she had never mind the more flirty aspects that her playful, young mind had. Then she'd woken up to shouting and grumbled something into her pillow as she slipped out of the room she'd turned into a bedroom. She glanced toward the stairs hearing Erik's shouting die down at a few shouts from Jane that Darcy couldn't define thanks to the closed door. She would go join them and find out what was going on in a minute. First she needed coffee.

Shuffling to the main part of the ex-car dealership in her oversized tee and pyjama pants she only realized someone else was on the ground level when she heard something clatter to the floor. She stood perfectly still for what felt the longest moment in her life before she decided to quickly backtrack for her surviving favourite thing in the world.

Loki, unaware that he had alerted the third human to his presence meanwhile looked around in alarm before kicking the piece of metal that had fallen off the burnt out contraption he had been inspecting toward a pile of what he could only think of as junk. He was glad no one had been witness to curiosity getting the better of him. Or so he thought until he noticed the presence of someone hiding just around the corner of one of the doorways. He could tell his brother was still on the roof with Erik and Jane so he was suddenly alarmed that someone else was here.

"Show yourself." He ordered, taking on his regal, arrogant persona before he could stop himself. Wide eyed and scared, a young woman stepped out, her hair still messy with sleep. Loki frowned at her trying to think who she would be. It took him longer than he would care to admit to remember the assistant he had seen with Jane and Thor when he had watched over his brother all those years ago. It had felt like a lifetime really and due to her unimportance he had forgotten about her.

"I'd recommend you leave before I call the cops." She informed him quickly and with fear in her voice. He frowned at her instinctually feeling superior to her. "I know the god of thunder you know." She added as an afterthought as if that might intimidate the man and get him to leave. As if the sullen part of himself had become a bystander, Loki more felt like he was watching the other him in his body as he began to laugh and sneer maliciously at mention of his brother as a protector figure. It was jealousy really, something he couldn't fight no matter how hard he tried.

He had been planning in his moment of madness to say something cruel to the girl about her insignificance and something involving his hatred for his brother. He didn't get that chance. The girl pointed a gun at him with a scream when he had taken a step toward her as an intimidation tactic. He felt an electric current jolt his body as he dropped to the ground. He wasn't sure if he was angry or glad that he was going unconscious from the electric shock.

Darcy stood there staring through the darkness at the man dressed in leather and metal and felt a strange recollection of the first time she'd met Thor. Speaking of which, the Asgardian came flying into the room with Erik and Jane, most likely alerted by the instinctual scream she had let out when the stranger had taken that first step toward her.

"He was freaking me out." She quickly defended; a pantomime of the aforementioned meeting. At first she thought she was going to get in trouble only to have her uneasy fear turn to confusion when she heard Thor's booming laughter.

"You are something else Darcy Lewis." He commented glancing to the young girl with a playful smirk. Despite her attempt to chide him with a look and remain serious herself, Jane couldn't help the corners of her mouth twitching up as well. "It took The Avengers to stop my brother when all we really needed was a "freaked out" Darcy." Thor said with another chuckle. He had the decency to bow his head slightly when Erik gave him an exasperated look. Obviously something big was going on and the young girl was unsure if she was thrilled or terrified at the notion that she was being swept into events beyond her control again even if she still probably was just a minor character to her boss' main character status. Maybe she should ask for a pay rise.

((A/N: An attempt at forcing myself to write a short story so I will for once finish it. All the chapters are pretty much done but I'd like to see if change would be preferred before I continue submitting. Again, it is intended to be deliberately short so I apologise if any part of the story feels rushed. Constructive criticism is cherished.))


	2. Chapter 2 - For Sumati?

Chapter 2 – For Sumati?

The first thought in Loki's head when he awoke was of the ache of his body, the second was curiosity about the musty smell of the space he was in. Like the place had not been cleaned in a while. He blinked his eyes until his vision was no longer blurred and looked around. He was lying on a bed made mostly of crumpled blankets in a very small enclosure filled with cupboards and appliances for living. It was like someone had taken a Midgard house and crammed it into one of their vehicles. Sunlight was filtering in from behind curtains and he was suddenly alarmed at the passage of time.

Not even noticing that he had been stripped down to the barest of his armour for comfort, Loki found the door in the small space and stormed out onto the area surrounding the repurposed car dealership. Standing there, blinded by the rising sun he finally recalled what had happened. He had been on the cusp of insanity when the young girl had shot some sort of electric gun at him. He also had some vague memory of hearing his brother's laughter.

Less alarmed and more embarrassed, he carefully made his way toward the rest of the building following the noise he could hear coming from inside, passing a small enclosed area where the young girl who had found him must have been staying. At the doorway he hesitated, concerned for how they would react to his presence. Deciding there was no use avoiding it, he finally made it the rest of the way into the space, entering closer to the part of the room he realized was a designated kitchen.

Thor was dressed in the barest of his armour as well, playfully helping Jane Foster cook breakfast while Selvig and the girl watched. She rolled her eyes, focusing on her mug of drink before she became the first to notice Loki's presence.

"Oh…hello." She offered awkwardly. This refocused everyone's attention, Selvig and Jane losing their sense of comfort as their bodies became tense, both of them turning on Loki with suspicion. Thor however greeted his brother cheerfully, walking over to pat him on the back.

"Ah! Good morning brother! How was your Darcy induced nap?" he jested with easy humour on his face. Loki was unsure if he was just ignoring the sudden animosity in the room or he really was that clueless. He decided it was the former in an attempt to cut that cold edge off the room and chose to run with it.

"Not my preferred method of meeting someone or resting." He joked back with a cautious, small smile on his face. Thor's laugh was only half forced but the grin was sincere, glad that his brother was making an effort.

"Sorry about that." Darcy offered after a moment of glancing between her companions. Erik frowned at her but she gave him a pointed look that seemed to be a silent message that they should at least try and be nice back. "You guys are going to start thinking that's how women here greet men." She offered in her own humour and Loki recalled looking in on them talking about their first meeting, something he had not seen at the time, focused as he was on finding out what exactly was wrong with him when his arm had turned blue at Jotunheim.

Thor jumped on the friendly opening like a life support and smoothly worked Loki into sitting down next to Darcy and opposite Erik who continued to eye him with hostility. Staring pointedly at the table, he had no wonder as to why. If he was to wonder of anything it was why he and Thor were so casually having breakfast when they should be preventing war.

Honestly, Darcy wasn't sure what to make of Loki. She was terrified of him, yes and she completely understood why Erik was spending breakfast trying to force choke him with just his mind but she also saw how much his second chance meant to Thor. He was trying in spite of everything, to make things go well; to show that Loki was a sinner turned saint. She was nothing compared to Jane in Thor's eyes but she was still his friend and as his friend she wanted to help him out with something that obviously meant a lot to him. She didn't have any siblings to associate that family bond with but she was empathetic enough to know that Thor needed to see his brother doing well and really cared for him. In all honesty she also felt like he'd suffered enough. The guy looked like he'd been spat out of hell.

She'd never met Loki and his actual image hadn't made it to the news other than far away shots but she had a feeling if he was slender he hadn't been that malnourished looking. His skin was so pale it was nearing translucent and the shadows around his eyes made her think of various depictions of death she'd seen at art galleries. To all the people at S.H.I.E.L.D she'd heard mention that he had gotten the easy way out she felt like finding them to tell them they were wrong. Asgardians were obviously stonehearted to be able to punish their family like that.

Darcy was distracted from her analysis of Loki when food was placed down in front of everyone and she was laid witness to Thor's phenomenal eating habits. She still couldn't get over how quickly and how much that guy could eat. Wondering if it was a trait of his people she glanced to Loki. He was hesitant at first, as if unworthy of eating or perhaps his awkwardness was a lack of practice of the habit. After a time he rather delicately cut into the scrambled eggs and toast on his plate, neatly consuming his food as opposed to his brother's shovel, inhale method. They were complete opposites and that in itself amazed Darcy.

"Here I thought it was an Asgardian thing to breathe food." She piqued up to disturb the otherwise quiet breakfast table with an amusing look as she adjusted her glasses. Confused glances were exchanged around the group; most significantly from Loki as he did not realize the young girl had been watching him. The shock lasted long enough for Thor to laugh at the jibe. The slightest of smiles worked its way onto Loki's face as he glanced to his brother who cleared his plate and was obviously eager for more as he eyed everyone else's breakfasts.

"I fear all too many of us do eat like him. If Thor and Volstagg were our ambassadors we'd be famous for how much we could eat as opposed to our skill for combat." He commented with an amused spark to his eye as his brother shot a half hearted indignant comment back. Loki looked sullen for a moment and Darcy recalled that Volstagg was one of the warriors who arrived to retrieve Thor all those years ago; she figured he was lost in thought on them. From what she knew and what little time she'd had to speak with them, Loki had been a sort of tolerated existence for the sake of their friend and leader, Thor. They hadn't detested him or at least not until he had gone mad.

"Say, you wouldn't have some pop tarts would you?" Thor asked after a moment when his laughter had died down. Jane and Darcy giggled as the former showed the ever hungry man where they were. Erik however kept his grim presence, not daring to relax even the slightest around the man who had controlled his mind. Thinking blindly to try and avoid the awkward silence, Darcy pulled her newly bought iPhone from her pocket and told Loki to smile who instead stared at her in bewilderment. She decided that would have to do and snapped a photo.

"Don't put that on facebook. Fury would be all over it in a heartbeat." Selvig finally spoke knowing exactly what the young intern had been planning to do. She sat stunned, having already been in the process of making a status of "and years later I met the hot god of thunder's younger brother" with the photo attached. "Judging from what Thor's told us that would hinder your efforts to stop this Sumati." He added after a moment as Darcy put her phone away, taking Erik's advice. It seemed, grudgingly, that he would help though obviously with no trust given for Loki.

"Thank you my good man." Thor commented having in those brief moments consumed half a box of pop tarts. "You will help us then?" he asked. Erik sighed, taking his eyes off Loki for the first time since he had entered the room.

"I will help _you_." He pointedly answered. For a second Darcy thought Thor might take offence but she saw only understanding. "I have the feeling that our unusual weather and this woman might be related." He added after a moment as they got down to business.

Loki realized that he had actually been quite comfortable with Thor going to New Mexico. That small town that had somehow recovered from his attack was still a small out of the way town. One long and awkward van ride later and he was in the city, stuck in a hotel room while Thor, Selvig and Jane went to a S.H.I.E.L.D laboratory so Jane could pinpoint the next anomaly and possibly where Sumati would make her first appearance. They had not really been gone all that long but time seemed to go slow when Loki felt like any second Fury would be knocking on the door to take him into custody.

"Hey, I bought some more pop tarts. Thought you might want to try one before Thor gets back and eats them all." The young girl spoke after knocking and entering the room he shared with Thor and Erik. Her and Jane were staying in an adjoining room and she had opted to stay behind to avoid what she called "the time wasting of trying to keep Miss Lewis out".

"Um…thank you." Loki offered awkwardly trying to hide the fact he had near jumped upon her entrance. A part of him was starting to wonder if madness was not more comfortable than terrified redemption. The constantly tense atmosphere was draining and like those around him, he felt a need to be on guard, to be ready to fight or flee. For that, he appreciated Darcy's attempts to be friendly. Even now as she passed the sweet cake that his brother seemed to love so much she displayed a determined effort to make him feel welcome. For what reason he was unsure. He'd overheard Erik mention to Jane that maybe she was just too ignorant of his crimes, too oblivious in her youth of the meaning behind what he'd done. But looking at her now Loki saw no lack of thought to her person. She appeared less intellectual to be sure but he had noticed at about the time she had pointed out his eating habits that she had been analysing him whenever she got the chance. He noticed she had the same fascination for Thor and guessed that perhaps she was just intrigued by the differences in their culture.

"I think I'd kinda like to see Fury's face if he found out you were here, sitting in a hotel room." Darcy suddenly commented, having finished her own pop tart. She giggled at the look of horror that Loki could not keep from his face. He made an uneasy laugh back at her.

"I don't think I would." He replied, staring at his lap and breaking off small pieces of the sweet food to eat a bit at a time. He wondered for a second if the girl had ever met Fury. It was clear that it was only through her friendship of Jane that she'd ever been a part of the government agency and the smallest they could manage. It was clear to him that like he, they thought she was of no significant importance. Yet here she was making an active effort to do what was right for his brother. Her efforts alone were enough to make him feel like the little people needed to be appreciated more.

He was thrown from his thoughts however when a sudden shockwave that shattered glass and drowned his hearing in thunder caused him to stand alert. Darcy had screamed ducking behind the bed they were sitting on together as if it would spare her from some monstrosity that had flown in through the windows.

"What was that?" she asked when she had recollected herself enough to brave looking over the mattress. Gaps in the curtains let them look down to the street below where many other humans were wondering the same thing.

"If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say that was Sumati's arrival." Loki commented after a moment. Without hesitation or another thought to what S.H.I.E.L.D might do if they found him, he sprung into action, heading for the stairs to get down on the ground and find the source of the explosion.

"Wait!" Darcy called out, running behind him. He didn't even bother to glance back, keeping ahead of her and hoping between what he was about to say and the fact she was falling behind would make her stay put and away from danger.

"You should remain here. I don't imagine you're experienced with combat." He replied just as he swung out onto the street, picking up his pace to a run. With height to his advantage, his long legs were carrying him away from the hotel quicker than the young girl would be able to go.

Darcy knew he had a point; she knew she had no place in a fight. Even if she tried to be optimistic she'd still have to admit to herself that she'd just get in the way. But that didn't stop her from chasing him, taser in hand. Why? Because she was scared and being alone and scared was worse. If she stuck with someone she knew, especially someone she knew who could kick butt, she'd feel better never mind that once in her life she'd been terrified of him or the golem thing he had controlled in much the same fashion.

She cursed his long legs when she finally caught up to him. While he had no need to catch his breath at all she stood panting like she had run a marathon. For a moment she wondered why he had let her catch up but that question lasted long enough for her to realize where the shockwave had originated. She wondered if every mass invasion, Earth doomed to destruction type scenario would start out at a S.H.I.E.L.D base.

Darcy didn't get to make her witty remark when out of the half collapsed building gunshots were fired. She heard a heavy metal clunk that reminded her of Myeh-myeh and watched as a good number of guys dressed in weird black coats were smashed across the street.

"Can you please hide somewhere now?" Loki asked exasperated as he ran forward to join his brother in the fight when he spotted what took Darcy seconds more to see. The woman was tall, taller than the Asgardians. Slender and a real looker if her skin wasn't a light shade of purple and she didn't have two extra pairs of arms, each holding a deadly golden sabre. Her long white hair seemed almost angelic, making her like a beautiful goddess until Darcy noticed the menacing red of her eyes. She had a dominating presence like discomfort on the back of your neck.

Darcy's reply to the already gone Loki came out more like a frightened gurgle as she nodded before running toward the nearest building. She had expected it to be abandoned when she shut and locked the doors behind her. Instead five men, all wearing that strange black trench coat, stood awestruck by the giant woman walking out of the rubble casually. Luckily they hadn't noticed her but Darcy was unsure if she should risk making more noise by unlocking the door and fleeing. Instead, glancing to what was most definitely Sumati as she flicked an attack from Thor away like he was a fly buzzing around her head, she moved cautiously over to a stockpile of the uniform she'd seen these guys wearing.

She was glad to find a female version knowing that even if she hid her hair her chest was a little too buxom to let her pass off as a man. She had only just finished buttoning up the jacket when the men who had missed her started running out of the room, grabbing the weapons that had been nearby the stack of clothes she had raided.

"Come on! The mistress wants us to go!" one man shouted, grabbing Darcy's wrist as they all ran out through the broken window of the shop towards a very large transport ship that she wondered if it belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D or the mysterious group of world invading goddess worshippers.

She had no hope of worming out of the clueless man's strong grip, daring a look over her shoulder and half hoping, somehow Thor would come whisking past and save her from being trapped behind enemy lines. She didn't spot him she did however catch the eye of his younger brother who stared in shock when he realized exactly who one of the people leaving with Sumati was. He could not fathom how in the few short moments since he had told her to hide she had managed to get herself in what he could only consider ludicrous danger. Darcy's hope that he would somehow save her however disappeared along with the daylight as the door to the airship closed behind her and the other people who had made it inside as it took off. The goddess stood high above her small army with a proud smirk on her face as they saluted in an odd fashion, a chorus of "For Sumati" ringing throughout the area. Darcy awkwardly looked around the vicinity, fear twisting her face into a strange expression as she uneasily spoke in a small voice.

"For Sumati?" she offered, no one noting her delay as they all paid full attention to the goddess who gave them one last smirk before turning her back on them.

Darcy had gotten herself in trouble before. Heaps of times. In high school she'd been a bit of an outcast and then when she'd finally gotten the hang of being a socialite in her later years she'd continued to get herself into all kinds of trouble, usually the kind caused by alcohol. Hell, she had even tased the god of thunder. But standing there in a group of strangers on a ship carrying an otherworldly being bent on the destruction of mankind she had to say that this time she had definitely outdone herself.

((A/N: A quick thanks for the reviews and faves. There is a warm, fuzzy feeling in my chest. I am honoured to hear that my fic is being used as a fix while waiting for more Marvel. In honesty it was my attempts to sate such a thing that brought me upon this pairing that while I can not fathom how it was first conceived, I enjoy greatly.))


	3. Chapter 3 - Upgraded Taser

Chapter 3 – Upgraded Taser

Loki stood there torn between two things. One of those things was running. Fury hadn't been at the now defunct S.H.I.E.L.D base but when several operatives who had been there had radioed him in about the god of mischief's presence he had made it there in record time and possibly with the rest of The Avengers on speed dial. Since his remarkably fast arrival Loki had considered going back to Asgard in shame, telling Odin that he should just be locked up for the rest of his life. Fury thought as much and wasn't going to let Jane Foster and Thor convince him easily, never mind that Selvig was obviously on Fury's side. It made the other part of Loki furious and it was only his other concern that kept him from giving in to that rage. That other thing was that he wanted to tell them to argue about it later because even now the image of Darcy was still burned in his mind.

He had hesitated in pursuing Sumati. He wasn't sure what to do to take her down since she had flung his brother around so easily so he was uncertain if taking chase was a good idea. Then he'd spotted her dressed in the weird outfit of the humans who worshipped Sumati as a goddess. Her eyes were wide with fear, hope and panic and he realized that she was begging someone to save her from whatever the hell she'd gotten herself into. He knew that if Jane was aware her assistant and friend was currently behind enemy lines she'd tell the one eyed man where to shove it. Loki just hadn't figured out where to work it into conversation considering every time he went to open his mouth he only seemed to insight further hostility. It was Fury however that gave him the opportunity.

"Look Miss Foster. We've put up with your insistence on keeping that child around to help you with your research-"

"Wait. Where's Darcy?" Jane asked, suddenly realizing that she wasn't there. She rounded on Loki with concern in her eyes and the awareness that her helper wouldn't have just sat back and let him run out.

"I'm afraid there's a problem." Loki began awkwardly, immediately regretting the words. He should have known better than to be the one to make it sound like she had died considering everyone's suspicion of him. He was saved from whatever threats Selvig had mixed in his rage only by his brother pulling the old man back as Jane grabbed the front of Loki's coat to pull him down to her height.

"Where is she?" she asked with worry and rage in her voice.

"Last I saw, being dragged into that ship that Sumati went into." Loki offered, standing straight when Jane released him so she could look at Thor in alarm as if he could somehow fix everything. Unfortunately he was just as dumbfounded as everyone else.

Darcy was beginning to wonder if Asgardian artefacts and hero related things in general, were somehow attracted to cold places. She was aware that Captain America had been found under the ice and that weird cube thing she could never remember the name of that Selvig told Jane about once who had told Darcy despite not being allowed to. She was glad that in the armoury of the giant flying crazy town there had been new cult outfits lined with fur. She wasn't sure where they were going she just knew it was getting colder and colder. She wasn't going to ask either. So far no one had really questioned her. A few awkward exchanges when she was mistaken for someone else or when someone wanted input from a third party and she just happened to be nearby but that was about it. As long as she walked around with purpose no one asked who she was or presented her with some kind of code she had to reply to and prove she was one of them. So far so good.

However that had become a more difficult task after their landing. She had tried to stay back to avoid suspicion but seemed to be encouraging it of those guarding the airship. She decided that if she was going to find the relics Thor had spoken of it was a "now or never" deal. So trying to keep up with an air of confidence, purpose and "meant to be here" attitude, she began walking through the snow. The people were setting up camps everywhere around various places. She recalled when everyone had first left the ship in a big group they had prepared themselves to dig with a giant drill machine. Sumati had apparently neglected to tell them that she could force the ruin submerged under miles of ice to rise to the top, also without breaking the ice and sending everyone to their freezing watery death. Well all except three unfortunately placed worshippers.

The confidence in her walk began to fail as Darcy made her way into the temple like building. The architecture was imposing and it didn't help that only a few of the "crazy people" had entered the place. She quickly realized that the shrine seemed to be an ancient museum of weird relics and that Sumati was carefully looking through them all. She recalled a few covered things had already been taken out of the place and she was pretty certain that this meant Sumati had not found the device that would allow this "Thanos" guy to just waltz onto Earth.

The young woman quickly decided it was best to start at the opposite end from Sumati and was glad to find that none of the worshippers had guard duty in any of the further away rooms.

"Okay Darcy…what does a portal device look like?" she asked herself, glancing around a room that held what she could only pessimistically call rocks. She decided that poking these things was the best she could do to work out what anything did. The first one she approached she took almost comical caution in touching. She held her body back, willing to risk only her finger if the rock turned out to be some flesh melting thing or a portal to giant monster wormville. Her caution only made it seem more ridiculous when nothing happened. After the third lack of activity she started to not care and even carelessly pick up the rocks and throw them across the room.

The second room was a bit more promising when she noticed a strange wrist bracer with a crossbow like contraption attached to it. She poked it, noting how the blue gem at the centre seemed to glow brighter when her finger touched the thing before picking it up, a little hesitant about putting it on her wrist.

"Darcy Lewis. Hawkeye's sidekick." She joked as she looked it over. She couldn't see any mechanism that might hold trap spikes the minute she put it on her wrist. That didn't mean anything though.

"Who are you?" a harsh voice questioned causing Darcy to jump and turn around. There Sumati stood, glaring for all she was worth as her strange echoing yet sultry voice hissed in annoyance. She could hear slight whispers in her ear and realized that the worshippers genuinely believed Sumati was a goddess because of some form of mental suggestion. "Who _are_ you, child?" she asked once again, stepping further into the room. She spoke the final world with both motherly love and frightening superiority that Darcy couldn't work out if she was trying to threaten her or lull her into trusting.

"Leaving." She quickly commented deciding it didn't matter either way. Sumati obviously knew that Darcy was not part of her cult. She took the gamble, pulling the device onto her wrist. In the back of her mind she heard a strange chime, like a voice that sung with the sweetness of a bell. She had only seconds after that to defend as Sumati leapt forward, all four sabres swinging, her weapon less hands poised to grab her if need be. There was no bolt but Darcy didn't realize this as she held the device up and just thought of an arrow flying forward. It was pure instinct and it was that which stopped her from standing there gobsmacked for too long when a massive shock of electricity shot out and sent Sumati flying backwards.

She took her chance, the intern turned sidekick fleeing out the door. At first no one tried to stop her, staring after her in confusion instead. They only realized she was not one of them when Sumati came storming out of the temple, rage screeching to all who turned too late to chase Darcy as she leapt into what she quickly dubbed a snow jeep. She also didn't notice that hiding under a tarp in the back of the vehicle was another glowing artefact.

Jane had worked overtime to find out where the artefacts were buried using information from her own research, from Thor and from S.H.I.E.L.D since their attempts to track the aircraft kept meeting with failure. Hours later she had cried out in triumph and Loki was in a drop ship with his brother who had promised Foster to return her helper unharmed. He didn't want to think about the other agents in the jet with him. They were as hostile as Fury who was still distrustful of Loki's existence on Earth.

This wasn't his only problem however. The ruins lay under a place the humans called the Arctic Ocean, on a sea of moving ice. If there was a place on Earth to remind him why he had gone insane with betrayal and shame than this was it. The temperatures were already dropping and Loki kept checking his hands, expecting the Jotun in him to just appear whether he wanted it to or not.

"Um…sir we've spotted something…odd." One of the pilots spoke up to the agent in charge. This caught Loki's attention as he and his brother joined the man in walking to the front of the craft to look outside. There was only one person who would be in the vehicle at the front of a line of them, chasing and firing at the runaway craft.

"That girl is mad." Loki heard himself commenting only aware he'd said it when he heard his brother's laughter as he was slapped on the back.

"Impressed?" Thor asked before hitting the switch that would open the back of the aircraft. Ignoring the man trying to be a tactician, Thor leapt down, Loki deciding to follow soon after.

Landing in the snow, he was somewhat glad his skin didn't go blue but this relief was short lived as he was thrown into battle. Darcy skidded to a halt after passing, stopping some distance behind them as he and Thor began to attack the vehicles pursuing her. While Thor had brute strength to help him Loki did not and knives nor his magic weren't very good at this point, at least not without one of the staves he had used in past times with more destructive powers. It was in these split seconds of thought that he realized he had to accept the part of him he hated most. Ice suddenly spiked up through several vehicles only to shatter and destroy more. Loki tried to ignore the fact his skin was blue especially when Darcy, too short minded to think that perhaps it was not wise to jump out of her vehicle and run up to the two Asgardians in battle, stared openly at him.

Her surprise went flying out the window, so to speak when she shouted a loud, quick "whoa" as debris went flying past her head, instinctually ducking. It was then that Loki noticed the strange contraption on her wrist. The gem at its centre glowed with dangerous pleasure and Loki wondered what it was. His curiosity would have to wait however, he learnt this when he was tackled by the six armed woman known as Sumati. She was launched off with ice spikes that stabbed out of the ground around his head, knocking her back and spilling dark purple blood all over the snow.

"Okay, please do one strong enough to knock her out this time." He heard Darcy beg and glanced back just in time to see her launch a bolt of bright electricity from the crossbow like wrist guard. There was a loud crack as it hit the intended target, sending the six armed goddess flying.

"Brother, I think we should retreat while we have the chance." Loki called out. Thor agreed, picking the still stunned Darcy up as they ran towards the carrier jet which had landed, S.H.I.E.L.D operatives having raided the young girl's stolen jeep. She seemed just as stunned as her rescuers when the ship had taken to the air again that there was a glowing pyramid like object unmistakably similar to the Tesseract sitting with them.

"Where the hell was that?" Darcy asked obviously having not intended to take the very thing they needed to prevent Sumati from getting her hands on.

"In the back of your jeep, Miss Lewis." The head agent commented both amused and concerned that their success had been the result of sheer dumb luck. Darcy held her hands in a palms out gesture with a shake of her head as if silently saying "what the hell" before looking back to Loki just as his skin began to return to a more human shade.

"Are Asgardians smurfs?"she inquired glancing to Thor as if she expected him to turn blue. When his brother had frowned, obviously trying to work out what a smurf was, he noticed Darcy's expression change to understanding when she recalled that Loki was adopted. "Your ice thing is cool…pun not intended." She commented after an awkward moment, blushing at her poor choice of words. Loki stamped down on his instinctual desire to rage, hating the Jotun in himself. It was only then that he realized that amongst the surprise and concern for the one human who was trying to give him a second chance he hadn't for a second, brooded over his mistakes or struggled against his insanity. He felt a need to thank her though thought it best not to in front of others. It seemed he couldn't stop his instinctual feeling of superiority and his desire to display around others that he was the son of a king.

"So is your…upgraded taser." He finally replied with a subtle smile. She laughed at that, inspecting the thing on her arm.

"It is pretty cool though I have no idea how it works." She offered. Loki was about to inquire if he could look at it when he noticed everyone watching their exchange closely. He was quick to analyse that if he did make the request everyone would be against Darcy handing him the weapon. He had to bite back his irritation, a sudden sneer forming on his face as he tried hard not to lose his patience over trust he did not deserve but wanted anyway. But once again he didn't have time to brood as he looked back to the girl with curiosity when he heard a quiet but still audible "uh oh".

"It won't come off." She clarified to everyone who was silently asking as she tugged, in vain, at the contraption on her wrist. It wasn't budging. She looked around at all the faces staring back at her, pleading silently that someone miraculously knew what to do.

It had taken several hours for them to get back to the mainland then eventually the city. In that time everyone in the back of the carrier jet had brainstormed ways to get the contraption off. Darcy had even sat there begging it as if it were a living thing to "get the hell of my wrist". When they had landed and nearly everyone had left the ship minus a few agents, Thor, Loki and herself, someone who might actually be able to help had finally spoken up.

"I could…look over it." Loki offered cautiously, obviously hesitant due to everyone's distrust of him. Darcy's two cents was she didn't care what he'd done in the past, he was the one person most likely to get it off her wrist but before she could tell the agents protesting to shove it Fury had thrown in his coins.

"You won't go anywhere near it." He had commanded. She noticed Loki's expression go dark like it had before she'd gotten distracted by her problem. She was concerned that his fear of Earth, people and others judging him for his past wrongs was wearing off quicker than their mistrust of him and that only brought out the rage in him that she was pretty certain most of his madness came from.

"Look, sir. I know you don't trust him and I don't know if I do either to be honest. Friends with Selvig remember?" Darcy decided to speak up knowing that being honest about the fact she didn't entirely trust him herself might not be the best idea but doing it anyway. "But I trust Thor and if he thinks Loki wants to redeem himself then fine by me. That means he can and will help me get this thing off my wrist." She blurted out knowing that being demanding of the imposing one eyed man might not be the best idea but not caring anyway. She had reached her freaked out limit and unfortunately she couldn't tase the thing on her arm…or could she?

"Don't try it." Loki spoke up as if reading her thoughts when Darcy had glanced thoughtfully to the side. She blushed, wondering how easy she was to read or if maybe he was just really good with people. Selvig and Thor had given her the impression he was good at manipulating individuals so if she was lucky that was the reason he could tell she had just considered tasing her own arm. "Now may I?" he inquired, glancing more to the people around him than Darcy. Unwillingly, Fury nodded his head, allowing it for the moment.

She watched, hopefully as Loki turned her arm this way and that, looking over the contraption but strangely focused on the jewel that Darcy was half convinced was alive. Of course when it came down to it she didn't actually believe this which is what made the next thing Loki did all the more surprising.

"Let her go. You're scaring her." He said as if speaking to a child. She was glad she wasn't the only one who stared at him like he'd grown a third arm. But before someone could tell Loki he was crazy the contraption moved, the arm guard revealing itself to be a body and ten legs. It was obvious now that she could see it and wondered why she hadn't picked up on that in the design before. The crossbow became the head, the line of light that served as the "string" splitting into two sort of antennas and a second gem opening up in the centre. The points of light inside the gems moving separately like a chameleon's eyes. A long tail also extended from its back, like a scorpions stinger and a whip at the same time. Darcy jumped back in alarm as the thing crawled onto Loki. It made this strange shrill when she stepped away from it as if begging her to come back.

"What…what?" was all Darcy could get out in her amazement as she stepped back toward Loki so the thing could crawl onto her arm, connecting with her somewhat like a baby duckling.

"I don't know to be honest. I just know it is alive and is actually very young." Loki answered as best he could, his gaze more of childish fascination unlike everyone else who seemed to be torn between curiosity and fear.

"Miss Lewis" Fury spoke up, catching her attention. She noticed a couple of scientist types behind him along with armed soldiers and worked out pretty quickly what their intention was. She knew she couldn't argue with them but that didn't stop her from instinctually pulling back, attempting to hide the creature. She gave in however when she realized there was no point trying.

"Just don't hurt it."She ordered them like she had some authority as opposed to none at all. She cooed to the creature as she passed it over to one of the scientists. It understood it had to go with the other humans but made a sad kree noise as it was taken away. Darcy felt weirdly like a mother who had just abandoned her child. It was a shamefully bitter feeling.

Luckily at that moment she was distracted by Jane running up and hugging her now that she was no longer held back in a moment of watching the scene unfold. Darcy was glad to have her friend with her. She'd had a rough day and her big sister boss was someone she needed to keep up her tough girl act and not display how near breaking she really was.

((A/N: Another thanks. The reviews are really heart-warming. Glad that everyone's enjoying it and I hope I don't disappoint.))


	4. Chapter 4 - Smurf

Chapter 4 – Smurf

Loki had wanted to study the creature cross weapon that Darcy had claimed but he knew he should consider himself lucky Fury had decided not to cage him. He, Thor, Jane and Darcy had been told to go back to the hotel they were staying at and that they would be taken to the other S.H.I.E.L.D facility in the morning. That didn't mean Loki was entirely off the hook. Both he and his brother had already noticed several agents failing at concealing themselves from the Asgardians as they kept an eye on the doubtedly changed man. It aggravated Loki who had nearly thrown a knife at one of them before his brother had put a calming hand on his shoulder obviously having noticed the madness in his eyes. It took all his willpower not to sneer and start a monologue how he had no need to submit to these lesser beings or desire their forgiveness.

This was when Darcy, who seemed to have a knack for knowing exactly when Loki needed to be distracted from his own internal battle, spoke up. She wondered casually if when he was done talking to Fury and studying the creature if Selvig would come join them at the hotel. Jane had commented that she doubted he would even think of sleeping that night knowing he was a bit like her when he had new information. Darcy then commented that they should bring him some breakfast in the morning before declaring that whether her current company liked it or not, they were eating at a restaurant that night after their hard day's work. In a less bold voice she added that Jane was paying.

That was how Loki wound up sitting in a restaurant listening to his brother tell outrageous stories of their adventures growing up. When encouraged, he would chime in with his own bit but mostly kept to the back with an easy smile on his face. His brother's laughter was oddly comforting if not familiar. He found it harder and harder to find the part of him that wanted to send everyone else in the building screaming before forcing them to kneel before him. None of them knew who he was, none of them feared him or distrusted him and despite his overpowering need to be acknowledged, respected and admired he couldn't help but find peace that he didn't have it right at this moment. The three people he was sitting with though Darcy and more so Jane this might not be the case, knew who he was and seemed to enjoy his presence. It was a nostalgic feeling that reminded him of nights with Thor, Sif and the warriors three after a day of conquest. Bitterly he knew that was unlikely to ever happen again. His old friends had never been that close to him and after what he'd done to Thor he had no doubt that they would never even consider him a friend again.

He realized that during his moment of brooding the conversation had shifted until eventually going quiet where Thor and Jane were exchanging glances that were all too easy to read. He glanced to Darcy who was trying her best to be polite about the particular tension at their side of the table before with an exaggerated sigh that Loki wanted to laugh at, she just decided to get it out of the way.

"Okay, okay. Jane pay for the food then you guys go take over our room." She said not being any type of subtle as she shovelled the rest of her dessert into her mouth wincing as the ice-cream gave her brain freeze. Once Loki would have pointedly looked the other way with a blush but years of knowing Fandral had all but destroyed his embarrassment about such things. Jane however looked to her assistant in mortified alarm. "Oh please. The people at the other side of the restaurant are talking about your sexual tension." She added with a teasing tone to her voice as Thor's shock was exchanged for laughter. Darcy's ability to say what she thought was at times, refreshing even if Jane complained about it.

"Are you sure?" Jane asked after paying the bill and grabbing her jacket and trying to look inconspicuous in her embarrassment. It was hard however when movement caused everyone to remember the two men dressed in weird clothing who they had watched openly for the first fifteen minutes of being there. While they lacked most of the metal of their armour and the capes, Thor and Loki still stood out like a sore thumb.

"I'm sure Jane. Honestly I'm amazed. I had a long distance relationship once and let me tell you, I never held out this long whenever we got a chance to meet up." Darcy told her friend who hid her blush behind a laugh as she quickly followed Thor out of the building.

"So are you still in this relationship?" Loki inquired mostly as a courtesy but also out of slight curiosity as he stood up having finished his meal. He had no idea where he planned to go however knowing that his room, adjoined to Jane and Darcy's would not be a safe zone from sounds he didn't want to hear no matter what Fandral had done to his tolerance.

"Nope. You applying for one?" Darcy asked with a sneaky smile on her face as she pulled on her jacket before fishing through her hand bag. Loki chose to reply to this only with an amused expression and a raised eyebrow. "Here" Darcy commented when she finally pulled out some of the paper that humans used as currency. "I'm going shopping and I can point you in the way of a clothing store for you and your brother. You guys need to look a little less…conspicuous." She commented after a moment before giving directions to the store. He didn't get a chance to thank her, for the money or her repeated attempts to show she was giving him a second chance as the minute he had taken the notes from her hand she had turned and left with purpose in her step. He stared absently after her wondering why he had the sudden urge to chase her down and ask if she wanted to help him pick out some clothing.

He didn't spend long shopping for new attire. For one he only had enough money for a few things for him and his brother. Secondly he had little passion for the activity in all honesty. This became unfortunate when he returned to his lodgings only to recall with a thud from the other room why he hadn't just returned immediately. He dropped the bag of clothes and quickly left, deciding to go out onto the rooftop. He was thankful that the only other people out there were the S.H.I.E.L.D agents that watched him wherever he went though that didn't mean their presence didn't annoy him but at least he wasn't stuck talking to some human who had also sought out the night air.

She had been joking when she asked if Loki was offering to be her next relationship material but considering the conversation she'd just had with Jane it shouldn't have surprised her so much when the two topics had collided in her brain. That was why she had fled the scene so quickly at the restaurant. The walk to the optometrist had been spent getting her head back into that less teenage girly response of flight when it came to getting attracted to someone. Loki wasn't the cut guy his brother was but he had his own charm. It was getting easier to see now that he was looking less like hell. Darcy was comfortable enough with herself to admit when she wouldn't mind getting together with someone and in spite of everyone's opinion that Loki was basically the devil, she could admit that if anything happened she wouldn't dislike it.

She was through thinking this over however by the time she'd replaced her glasses and bought a few new books with what was left of her money. She definitely should ask for a raise. She agreed with this even more when she made it back to the hotel much later and could still hear what she was suddenly regretting encouraging. Sighing she ended up heading for the roof deciding that it was as good as a bed to read on. She found she wasn't the only one who had sought refuge.

"How long have you been up here?" she asked when she spotted Loki leaning on the raised wall that circled the roof. He showed no surprise and Darcy felt he had known she was there before she had even stepped out much like when she had first met him.

"Not long after we finished dinner." He answered not even turning to look at her as she took a place beside him. It seemed she had caught him lost in one of his darker thoughts. She always felt uneasy when she noticed that furious tension about him.

"I'm surprised they don't have people here to keep an eye on you." She commented after a moment of uncomfortable silence. His response to that was a laugh, decidedly bitter as his eyes moved to a point on a nearby roof. If Darcy squinted she could see the man and she understood that he was probably one of many. She wondered if they had been following them since their return to the city.

"Thank you." He offered after a minute of silence and Darcy glanced to him in puzzlement. The expression he made at her gaze suggested he had been hoping she'd just understand why without him having to explain. He licked his lips, glancing to empty space for the words. "For…giving me a second chance." He added though his expression suggested he felt his words had fallen short. Darcy couldn't stop a smile from spreading across her face in a teasing kind way.

"You're not so bad." She clarified looking down out at the city as her grin turned to a smirk. "Who can be scared of a smurf anyway?" she continued. She couldn't help but laugh when Loki raised his brow in a mixture of confusion and ridicule. No doubt he thought that being called a smurf wasn't her best attempt at an insult.

"What is a smurf anyway?" he gave in, asking as he took on an expression of frustrated confusion with the smallest hint of humour. Darcy laughed wishing she had the cartoon on demand or even the latest movie to show him exactly what he was being called.

"Well they're these little blue people that live in a secret village." She began explaining before breaking into a fit of giggles as Loki frowned at her. A part of him was obviously offended but there was still a smile on his face.

They remained on the rooftop for some time, going between silence and teasing. At one point Darcy even pulled out her phone to look up and show Loki some examples of what a smurf really was. She spoke about her drunken adventures before she'd taken the job with Jane and he told his favourite hunting stories when it came to his adventures with his brother which as one would expect, were the ones where he saved Thor from failure. It was late at night when they finally decided to head back to their rooms. They waited in the hallway for a moment listening before Loki checked his side. Thor had not returned so he offered his brother's bed to Darcy.

"Why thank you my good sir." She said with an amused curtsy forgetting that Loki's speech was Asgardian custom as opposed to him being playfully old fashioned. She kicked off her shoes and stripped as much as she dared, sacrificing a little comfort for dignity before climbing into the cosy hotel bed. Loki turned off the light and she listened quietly as he got into his own bed. Curiosity nagged at her and her tired mind caused her to no longer care if she might upset the once madman. "Hey, Loki…did you miss Thor?" For the longest time he didn't reply. The silence felt suffocating and Darcy not for the first time, thought she should have kept her mouth shut. Then she heard the smallest of sighs.

"I did…I hid it under my jealousy…it was even easier to ignore when Odin told me what I feared…when I realised I was…a monster." He began explaining, saying the last word so quietly that it was obvious he still believed it and that the pain of that conviction was tearing him apart. He was quiet for a long time obviously lost in his own head. Darcy licked her lips deciding that Loki was her friend too, that she was no longer talking to him for Thor's sake but for his.

"For the record, I don't think you're a monster. I've met a lot of men or seen a lot of men that people want to call monsters since we hit Thor with the car all that time ago…but you are definitely not one." She informed him with as much sincerity in her voice as she could muster. Loki may have replied but she was no longer awake by the time he did.

It had been difficult for him to fall asleep and he had been half tempted to wander aimlessly instead but recalling the agents that watched him he decided it best to just lie on that mattress, staring at her through the darkness. He would just get irritated if he placed himself amongst their overwhelming distrustful presence. So instead he had sat in his mixture of emotions. He was shocked by her words. He was a good enough liar to know when someone was using his own tricks on him and as such knew that she had been sincere. He had felt oddly proud and humbled at the same time that she did not consider him a fiend. Of course there was also the part of him that despised her kindness and tried to tell him that her opinion of him meant nothing, that she was just a worthless human to be crushed under his boot. He found his two halves warring at that until he had finally fallen to exhaustion.

He still woke early however and his mind instantly recalled the earlier thought pattern causing him to glance over to the girl. She had the oddest smile on her face in her sleep, her full lips showing light amusement and he wondered curiously what she was dreaming of.

Ignoring his interest, he decided that he was in a good enough mood to ignore the S.H.I.E.L.D agents and as such, with no shame or consideration for what would happen if Darcy awoke, changed into some of the clothing he bought the previous day. The jeans and casual dress shirt were comfortable enough, his movement easier than in his Asgardian attire although he wondered if he should keep it nearby for its use as armour.

He decided to worry about that later as he made his way down to the lobby where the hotel held a small café. He was pleasantly surprised when he heard his brother call out to him.

"What on Asgard are you wearing?" Thor questioned as Loki moved over to sit with his brother and Jane.

"Darcy commented that you and I need to stand out a little less. There's some for you back at our room." Loki explained feeling a small wave of joy when Jane offered him a friendly smile. He was half certain her sudden trust was more a result of her own happiness more than he was getting closer to others but he welcomed it none the less.

"Is she still asleep?" Foster inquired, looking at her phone which she had obviously just been using. Loki nodded knowing where this was going. "I'll wake her up so we can finish breakfast and get to the lab. Erik has some news for her." She explained before getting up from the table. Thor watched her leave with a content smile on his face.

"You seem to be in better spirits, brother." Thor commented, taking the opportunity to eat Jane's leftover breakfast since he had obviously finished his a while ago. Loki rolled his eyes at his brother's gluttonous ways shooting his darker look at the agents watching them.

"I'm making some progress in the whole "save myself from being a madman" endeavour." Loki offered light-heartedly which got a sincerely pleased laugh from his brother. Perhaps Odin had been right in sending them to Midgard.

Despite Darcy's insistence to sleep in Jane had forced her to come downstairs and join them for breakfast. Tired and foggy as she was she didn't have the self-control, not that she normally did, to stop a satisfied grin from spreading across her face when she noticed Loki was wearing normal clothes. She complimented him easily as he opened his arms in an odd seated bow. Thor decided his input at that point was that Loki and Darcy had been hanging around each other too much and that she was rubbing off on his brother. The joke for the rest of breakfast became that this meant Darcy would go crazy with desire for power and to rule the world. She said she was halfway there when she reminded everyone she was a Political Science major.

Thor decided her advice was good however and went back upstairs to change while Darcy ordered a takeaway breakfast for Erik. Soon enough they had all entered a black sedan and been taken to the other secret S.H.I.E.L.D facility. Darcy couldn't resist the jibe that the shadow government seemed to be making them and handing them out like buckets of popcorn.

"Should you really bring him into this compound?" Erik asked when the group of four entered one laboratory, escorted by a group of armed men and Fury himself.

"I'd like to have him where I can keep an eye on him." The agent clarified as an aggravated expression flashed across Loki's face, his earlier good mood drained in a heartbeat as he wished desperately that he'd done a better job of killing the superspy. His dark thoughts weren't lightened much by Darcy's rolled eyes but he appreciated she was as sick of their suspicion as he was.

"So, what's the news for me?" she piped up ignoring the dark looks this earned from the people who thought she was being rude to men who deserved respect. Loki admired that this didn't seem to faze her although like others, he began to question if it was bravery or ignorance.

"You get your crossbow back." Selvig commented, gesturing to a table where the wrist guard creature sat making a weird hiss noise at the scientists who had been trying to inspect it. "Even when we could get it to cooperate it simply refused to attach to anyone else's arm let alone fire for them." He explained talking to Jane and Fury about the more scientific aspects of what they had learned about the creature and how it worked which was very little. Darcy lost herself in a moment of glee and shrieked like an excited high school girl, running over to the creature. There was a strange bell like chime as it leapt eagerly into her arms before securing itself on her wrist like the scientists had been trying so desperately to get it to do.

"Is there anything like this on Asgard?" Jane asked curiously and both Loki and Thor shook their heads although Loki sensed it had something to do with the realm where the Tesseract had originated. The glowing blue of its "eyes" was far too similar.

"So it's going to need a name." Selvig commented. Everyone picked up on the fact he was referring to the creature as a species, not an individual. Everyone that is except Darcy who stroked beside its first eye, the one on its back, before glancing to Loki who had been the first to realise it was alive.

"Smurf." She said fondly. Loki stared in shock while everyone else gawked in confusion. One scientist even spoke up to say that was no name for an alien race. Darcy sighed and rolled her eyes. "That is specifically its name. I'm sure it has a proper name somewhere out there but this little guy is called Smurf. Isn't that right Smurfie?" she cooed affectionately. Loki was the only one to laugh.

((A/N: I'm glad you all like Smurf. I never planned for the weapon to be alive, it sort of just happened while I was writing and I was a bit apprehensive of how it would be responded to.))


	5. Chapter 5 - Goodbye

Chapter 5 – Goodbye

He glanced from his seat off to the side at her when she huffed in irritation. Since the creature was obviously the only thing that could pack a punch against their goddess enemy Fury had decided the young woman needed to do a crash course in the art of combat. Thor was helping, presenting someone stronger than the average human which was obviously what Sumati would be like to fight. Loki of course was ordered to sit still and do no more than breathe. His treatment was backsliding all his mental success as he fought hard not to punch the men that stood beside him as his personal escort. Darcy was too busy practising to do her usual distract routine whether it was deliberate or not. But still, her irritation at repeated failure was alarmingly cute.

"Look, I know I need to be Black Widow badass but I'm a college student who majors in Political Science. What the hell gives you the impression I have a knack for fighting?" she asked irritably with a childish growl to her voice.

"That's what this training is for Miss Lewis. Do you think that six armed freak is going to go easy on you just because fighting isn't your thing?" Fury goaded, pissing the girl off further. Loki, like the infuriating man that lived up to his name and a few scientists, had worked out that the creature responded to Darcy's moods. The angrier she got the more electricity it charged. With a sneer and a signal from the agent she began the drill again, this time the creature sent out small lines of electricity, enough to send the humans flying back before charging and knocking Thor across the room when it was his turn to attack. Loki's mood brightened in watching the small girl get the better of his warrior sibling.

"Whoa…" she said in awe of what she had done unintentionally as she looked around the room to all her knocked down opponents. Thor was the only one to get up and that was after a moment of disorientation.

"Much better. Now when she inevitably attacks you will have a slight chance at defending this city against her onslaught until we can work out what to do with that pyramid." Fury commented reminding Loki that there was a transportation device somewhere in the facility. If he could get to it he could flee and be rid of the constant suspicion. He frowned however finding that the sullen part of his mind greatly disliked this notion for reasons he could not fathom.

Loki was certain from the look on Darcy's face she had been planning to make one sassy remark or another. She didn't get the chance however. Very similar to the moment at the hotel, they were alerted by a shockwave that shattered glass. Sumati was most definitely here.

"Okay Miss Lewis. Time to see if we really did make some progress." Fury commented making some quick orders to those around him. He then turned to Thor who was obviously ready to join the fray. "Thor, I would like you to go to the location of the Pyramid. If she gets by Lewis I'd like to think there was someone capable of stopping her near it." Fury added. The muscular man hesitated, obviously unsure if he liked the plan before nodding and following an agent the spy indicated to. Loki felt a strong urge to help his brother that he was uncertain if the other half of him encouraged only for his dark desires and the uses of the pyramid.

Darcy meanwhile gaped like a fish out of water. Everyone was moving except her and a harsh shout of her name reminded her that she was a part of this now too. She stumbled into action, running with the other men out onto the street that was littered with cultists.

"Spread the word of Sumati, huh?" Darcy commented as they ordered civilians to submit or die. As if speaking her name summoned her, the six armed goddess landed from where the young girl didn't know, in the centre of the street, cracking the road with the force of her landing. As if dozens of women were clinging onto the human girl's shoulders, she heard deadly whispers of words she couldn't quite define and felt the suggestion of submitting and worshipping the goddess before her. Darcy found herself oddly annoyed at the attempt at manipulation.

"Look lady. I know some actual gods and they're in fact pretty cool guys. If I was going to worship someone it would be them so get lost." She shouted, aiming her crossbow creature. With a monstrous shriek of rage Sumati charged forward not even noticing the bullets that rained on her from the agents who had accompanied Darcy. For the briefest of seconds she felt like running and regretted taunting the six armed woman but then instinct kicked in. She wasn't sure if it was entirely hers, hearing that chime in the back of her mind that she knew belonged to the creature she had fondly dubbed Smurf. Either way, she fell into motions unfamiliar to her body even with the practice.

She dodged the gold sabres that whistled dangerously close to her neck or other vital areas. She gave little shocks, annoying Sumati more than harming her, as she climbed up, grabbing the various golden chains that adorned the goddess until she was on her shoulders. Just before one of the free arms could grab her Darcy took aim with her crossbow.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to over accessorise?" she asked in mocking before being sent backwards at the force of the bolt of electricity that also ploughed the purple skinned woman into the ground. The landing hurt and the young girl decided she was lying on that footpath until the stars were no longer dancing in front of her eyes.

From the minute Loki had tried to follow his brother S.H.I.E.L.D agents had tried to stop him, to order him around and to contain him. Now the god of mischief had finally reached the end of his tolerance as he knocked three worthless humans flying across the room then tricked another five into shooting his illusion only to be stabbed in the back by the real Loki. They were just outside a vault that no doubt held the relic that would enable his escape but now his brother rounded on him.

"Loki, no!" Thor called out noting the madness in his younger sibling's eyes. He sneered, body tense and ready to grab for a dagger or perform magic.

"Why not?! Why Thor, Odin's son." He spat, forgetting all the love he had felt at being called the son of Odin himself as his skin turned blue and he chose to be the monster, to control ice as the immediate temperature around him dropped. "These pathetic mortals think they have the right to judge me?! A king and a god?! They are but ants under my boots!" he hissed gesturing to one of the men he had killed.

"This is not you. You have proven that already. Don't give in." Thor pleaded to no avail. Loki already too far gone. He didn't even bother to reply with words, launching forward with a hand of sharp ice.

As he fought his brother, ducking and weaving, tricking him with illusions and feeling the pain of a blow from Mjolnir when he wasn't quick enough, he raged in his own mind. His insanity screamed hatred and disgust. These humans were beneath him and he had acted much the scolded child, apologetic and subdued. It was shameful and all for Thor, for Frigga for Odin. People unworthy of him for they had deemed him unworthy of them. But even in his rage, his madness the part of him lived that knew he was wrong and that his family had not found him unworthy. That they above all else, loved him and wanted nothing more than to have the playful son and brother they loved back. He had been known for his quick wit and his silver tongue and he struggled inside himself to use that charisma to remind his other half, convince the other part of his mind that there was another way and that he was not the outcast he made himself to be. He had kicked and screamed and killed so many and still his family had welcomed him. Mayhap their arms had not been open at first although he knew especially through his mother that they had wanted them to be.

So caught in his own mind was he that he didn't notice the fight had taken them into the very vault Thor was meant to be protecting. He spat a curse, something deep down Loki knew he did not mean more so when he saw the pain the words caused on his brother's face. Then they had charged forward, lightning and ice, a frozen storm, not even aware their attacks both hit the glowing blue device designed as a portal and energy source, not a defence mechanism.

Loki's inner conflict with himself was swept away when he was knocked back and the world consumed with blinding white light. The ring in his ears was the only thing that told him it was only a lie though and that the world was still very much there and that his eyes were just caught on the explosion he and his brother had unintentionally caused. As his mind slipped into unconsciousness a memory echoed in his ears, far more convincing to the part of him that was ashamed of what he was and changed that pain to rage, that torment to malicious intent.

_"For the record, I don't think you're a monster."_

Darcy had been forced to get back up when her star filled vision was replaced with a half burnt, crazed Sumati flying through the air with obvious intent to land on her with all four sabres sticking into her body. She remembered scrambling away almost comically before spending the next excruciating minutes which felt like hours, just trying to keep out of the six armed woman's reach. Then the S.H.I.E.L.D building had exploded and Darcy had a hint as to what exactly had been destroyed in and possibly caused said explosion. Sumati's enraged scream took on a pained tone and quite possibly a hint of fear that alarmed the young girl. But a shrill noise in her head like a kettle overheating reminded her that she had a job to do. She took aim, Smurf charging longer than usual before a bolt of lightning, stronger than any she had fired yet, incapacitated the goddess woman with another shriek of pain as the force all but destroyed her left side.

When the smoke had cleared and the fire that suddenly consumed the goddess had snuffed out there stood a woman only a few inches taller than the Asgardian brothers. She only held two arms and the red of her eyes was no longer lit with an inner fire, her skin still dusted with a shade of purple but closer to human flesh. Fury saw the chance and before Sumati could do anything her two arms were behind her back and she was cuffed, ready to be transported to a much more secure facility dedicated to the imprisonment of people such as herself.

Then Erik and Jane had shown up, having disappeared with the rest of the civilians to a safe distance when the fighting had started, running past agents and subdued cultists towards the pile of rubble that had once been a S.H.I.E.L.D facility. That was when the past minutes finally caught up to Darcy who seemed to be a mere observer as she recalled the events almost as if someone had hit the mute button.

She tried to call out to her boss but found her voice failed her as she dropped to her knees. Smurf instantly let go of her wrist, making weird clicking noises in concern as the light in its eyes dimmed. It was only then did she realize that in battle the light had flared with pleasure. It seemed to be bred for combat though that wasn't a hard guess considering how it worked. She glanced back to Jane who was screaming for Thor as she used the strength of adrenaline to lift and toss chunks of cement aside. She was near hysterical by the time Erik grabbed hold of her and tried to pull her away. Thor was beneath that rubble. So was Loki. Darcy laughed hollowly, distant from herself.

"They're gods, right?" she asked no one in particular when she finally found her voice. Smurf chirped before scurrying over to the rubble, disappearing in the cracks. She watched while her vision blurred from physical exhaustion as eventually the rocks began to move, a few chunks of cement falling down and causing Jane and Erik to step back. Then the masses exploded out at one section almost like a volcano blowing its top and out of the hole created scurried the strange creature chirping with pride. Behind it climbed Thor, carrying his unconscious brother on his shoulder.

He had expected to wake in chains or at least in a cell but when he had blinked his eyes open he realized he was in that same hotel room that had once again, cleaned up shattered glass and replaced the windows in record time. This time however Thor was in the room, sitting on the bed next to his with worry in his eyes. Loki swallowed, recalling his actions and mostly regretting them.

"Apparently we destroyed the pyramid artefact. That's one more portal Thanos can not use." He explained with a grim attempt at a smile. Loki was unsure how to respond, offering only a slow awkward nod. He imagined the look on his face clearly stated the question he desperately wanted to ask. "I told Fury that we were forced to fight something else that had managed to use the portal from the other side and in the battle, we accidentally destroyed the pyramid." Thor clarified making it clear that he had lied to protect his brother. Loki was unsure if he deserved it.

"I imagine Heimdall will see that differently." He said after a moment of silence, his voice husky and feeling like it might not be his own as he sat up properly. A thoughtful look passed over his brother's face but he seemed to ignore that Heimdall's gaze would have been on them.

"I can hear you guys in there." A soft voice called through the adjoining door. Thor laughed as Loki looked about in alarm before watching as Jane, Erik and Darcy stepped into their side of the hotel rooms. The younger woman had not gotten through her fight unscathed, cuts and abrasions healing on her arms and face. The creature she called Smurf had perched itself on one of her bare shoulders, chirping happily when it spotted Loki. She brought it over to his bed, letting it climb off her arm and onto his.

"You're lucky Fury and his men are gone. He would be chained in no time if he knew that you lied Thor." Selvig spoke up but it seemed to not be hostility but logical warning he was offering. He by no means liked or even forgave Loki for his past crimes but he saw what Darcy had picked up on straight away, that his redemption meant everything to Thor.

"Everyone's allowed to have a relapse." Darcy chimed in like Loki's madness was an addiction he was being weaned off of. He wanted to laugh at the notion but chose to frown at her incredulously instead. "Besides. If you hadn't lost it that device would still be here and a nice stepping stone for Thanos…and the explosion kinda saved my arse." She added after a moment, adjusting her glasses.

"Well I think I'll take a page from Darcy. We should go out and have something to eat. We've earned it." Jane spoke up in with a friendly smile.

It felt odd in all honesty. A strange sense of guilt and freedom. He felt undeserving of the company and good humour of his…would he call them friends? Erik definitely not, Jane maybe and looking to Darcy who smuggled Smurf into the restaurant in an oversized handbag, he knew that she definitely was one. He felt unworthy of the opportunity to just sit and be merry after battle. He should be in some dark room somewhere, punished for his actions. But here he was dressed in Midgardian clothing eating fine food with his brother and a woman he admired for her honesty and loyalty. Things were not perfect, nowhere near so but in that brief moment he felt happy, all the while her words, the last words to enter his mind after the explosion, echoing in his head.

The week that followed had been a fun one for Darcy. Given leave, the group had gone back to New Mexico minus one Erik who stayed behind to conduct research. In the small town the group of four enjoyed their healing time, Thor and Jane more so than the others. She couldn't blame them though. Who knew when Thor would be sent back to Earth and apparently he wasn't allowed to take Jane to Asgard just yet. They deserved to enjoy it while it lasted.

While they soaked up each other's attention Darcy would spend time with Smurf and Loki. Sometimes reading, sometimes playing with her weapon pet, sometimes teasing Loki. He was hesitant at first to let himself be merry, guilt clear in his inaction. But with enough prodding and persistence Darcy got him to relax and genuinely enjoy himself. She learnt quickly why he was the god of mischief falling victim to more than one trick over that week. It was on the last day before the Asgardians returned home that she felt the sincerity of his gratitude for her efforts. She had just fallen victim to his last trick where he had turned her coffee into a mug of ice-cream and her precious iPhone into a bar of chocolate.

"Loki! Turn it back!" She shouted when she heard his distinctive laugh after her brief moment of freak out and wondering if she had been dreaming. He ignored her for a moment to enjoy the frustrated look on her face, giving in only when she started punching his arm.

"Okay, okay. Calm down." He chided, using his magic to return the items to their original state as Smurf chirped in amusement from the table.

"Seriously. I liked it better when everyone thought you were a monster." She said without thinking. The sudden hurt that washed over Loki's face told her she'd gone too far. "Sorry." She immediately blurted out, shuffling awkwardly on the spot. She earned a sad smile for her efforts.

"No, no. It's okay." He told her though it was obvious a part of him was still brooding over it. "Thank you." He added almost as an afterthought as he looked out the glass doors, deliberately not looking at her confused expression. It took her longer than she wanted to admit to work out he was once again thanking her for giving him a second chance.

"Yeah…" she offered clumsily in return not knowing what to say as she followed his gaze. They were brought from an uncomfortable silence when Thor and Jane made their way downstairs; Thor dressed in his Asgardian attire and tossing Loki's toward him.

"It's almost time." Thor explained solemnly. He obviously didn't want to leave but unfortunately they didn't really have a choice in the matter. Loki found himself oddly sad at the idea as he glanced to Darcy. He wasn't his brother. He wasn't madly in love with the girl after such a short time but he cherished their friendship and could acknowledge that without her around he would most likely spend a lot of his time brooding again. He also couldn't deny that a part of him was curious that if they tried for something akin to his brother's relationship with Jane, where would it go? But there was no point testing it, limited on time as they were.

The mood in Jane's van filled with her equipment was sombre and Darcy pursed her lips as she tried very hard not to tear up. She could not help it though. Life seemed be a lot more fun when Thor was around, Loki's and Smurf's addition having been quite welcome by the end of it. But now it was all going to end, even Smurf who had no permanent place on Earth was going with them. She didn't like the idea of it all being just a fond memory.

They parked a little away from where the Tesseract would take Thor and Loki home, Jane saying her goodbye to her lover as Darcy petted her creature weapon farewell, not wanting to give him to Loki just yet.

"I'm gonna miss you chirping in my ear." She muttered the tears she didn't want in her eyes and in her voice as she handed Smurf to Loki with one last stroke. "You look after each other, okay." She added trying to sound as commanding as possible even with the sorrow in her voice. Loki laughed at this although it was a short sad laugh as he stroked the creature now on his arm. It had been peculiarly understanding of the situation when they had realised Darcy could not walk around Earth with the living contraption, something those with cruel intentions might try to claim. She had requested that Loki take him until she could sort something out with S.H.I.E.L.D. The creature had made sad chimes when she has asked but now it seemed almost mature in its acceptance. Smurf chirped suddenly, making another weird mechanical noise as the first eye, the one on its back, detached itself from the rest of the body, walking on four legs and reaching out to Darcy. When shock subsided and she took it, it wrapped around her wrist like a bracelet.

"And here I thought there would be no more surprises." She said after a moment, staring at the detachable eye and back at the creature it came from. "I don't know if this is cool or creepy." She added just as Thor and Jane walked back over to them. Jane awkwardly shook Loki's hand as Darcy hugged then punched Thor lightly in the arm telling him to keep out of trouble.

The brothers took hold of either end of the contraption the Tesseract was in, looking at their companions one last time. Jane whispered an "I love you" that was returned by Thor while Darcy waved uncomfortably.

"Farewell." Loki offered with a smile to the human who had done far more for him than most he knew. Who had done a fairly decent job of healing his broken mind, originally for his brother's sake but in time for his. She sighed glumly, glancing to the side for a second as if saying "if I have to say it".

"Goodbye." She spoke, Loki catching the tear she didn't manage to hold in just as he and his brother were transported back to Asgard. He took in a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding when he looked around, spotting Heimdall and Odin. It was time to face up to his crimes once more even if a part of him was suffering already.

((A/N: I hope I haven't disappointed. Thank you all so much for the reviews. It's great to see questions that I realised when writing, I never addressed but as I was forcing myself to make this short and am not going to revise it or add more chapters, I am sad to say this is the end (though an epilogue will be up tomorrow but that's more for fluff than explanations). However I have already been inspired for two further stories set in this universe and the second is already halfway towards completion while the brainstorming for the third has been entertaining. Jaquelinelittle: Good point. I'd say however that the scientist's dislike of the name might not come from that stand point (although it made me wonder if it would cause copyright issues to name an alien race after Smurfs) but that they specifically would prefer that it not be named as such (especially since they have none of the context of why Darcy named it that). I'm sure there's a Entomologist somewhere that isn't too fond of the fact there's a Dung Beetle named after George W. Bush. Thank you. That review gave me a lot to think about. Also, in answer to your question in case I never clearly address it: It absorbs the energy of adrenaline, mostly from battle. How it can survive on so little energy and provide such strong attacks from it will definitely be addressed later however so you'll just have to theorise until then. :) Long Author's note is long. I'll take my leave.))


	6. Epilogue - Hope For You Yet

Epilogue – Hope for You Yet

Six months ago she probably would have been overjoyed to be at the fancy gathering, an event organised by one rich person or another, she couldn't remember who exactly, for everyone who had contributed to saving the world over the last couple of years. She had actually met the rest of The Avengers, her and Jane substituting for Thor. Of course they were all aware, if not before they got there, by the end of the night, what had exactly transpired thanks to one Tony Stark who had taken it upon himself to learn more about the younger woman when she hadn't let him get away with arrogance. To spite her he'd gotten Jarvis to learn her every dirty secret including Loki's visit to Earth. She had quickly scolded herself with a "Good one Darcy. Piss off one of the richest men in the world who also happens to be a superhero and a genius". But as the drink flowed freely this hostility seemed to lessen as everyone shared war stories and she realized she actually had input.

She almost felt like she was a part of the team. If she still had Smurf she probably would be. For now she had to settle with the martial arts lessons she'd taken and going back to the old not so fancy taser. She'd also have to keep ignoring the fact that she also missed Smurf. So here she was, dressed up in a beautiful black ball gown that put emphasis on how developed her chest was and looking like she'd stepped out of Hollywood. At first she had felt that silly rush she always felt to plaster photos of everything over facebook but something felt off and that was how she ended up outside in the fresh night air brooding away from the clatter of glasses, laughter and conversation. She wasn't like Jane. She couldn't get stuck in a conversation with all the other science types about one thing or another and completely forget that if invitations could be sent to Asgard and accepted, she would be a bit more like Pepper hanging off of Tony's arm.

In that moment Darcy wondered if on some really out there chance Loki would be invited to such a thing would she hang off his arm like an accessory? Not that Pepper was like that, Darcy had quickly noticed that if Stark wasn't careful with his words he would be the one begging forgiveness to get back in her good graces. Darcy was a bit too much of a tomboy really to be the pretty girl on the arm though but it would have been the perfect occasion to flirt with Loki if anything. Staring out at the city below, she tried hard to change her thought pattern and deny that she missed both the Asgardian and the creature he had taken with him. She stared longingly at the strange bracelet on her wrist, noticing that it was bizarrely alight with energy. Maybe Loki and Smurf were on some other planet, fighting. When it flashed brightly for a second she only became more concerned wishing more than ever that someone had invented a phone that could make a really long distance call.

So wrapped up in her thoughts was she that she didn't notice the man stepping out onto the balcony to join her. He glanced over his shoulder, checking that no one had noticed him appear through a faint blue light with a strange creature that had grown in mass since it was last on the planet mimicking the size of a large dog as opposed to a large lizard. He was dressed smartly, not in his Asgardian attire else he might have been a bit easier to spot and he wanted to minimize that.

He stared at her, cautiously. Even from the back he could tell the dress she was wearing looked magnificent on her which wasn't helping. He felt young and foolish in spite of his usual arrogance. It was hard to find his confidence and remind himself he had snuck away to see a friend, not a lover. He heard her sigh to herself and found he understood the action. He too had spent the last six months missing their easy companionship. No one tried as hard as her to make him feel welcome and better yet, like he wasn't someone to abhor. He didn't want to admit, even to himself that he had spent far too many days and nights trying not to think of her or the words she had said that made him feel for the first time since he learned the truth of his existence, that he was not a monster.

"The party goes on without you Miss Lewis." He offered being decidedly formal. She gasped, spinning on the spot as her straightened hair crashed about her face. She stared at him wide eyed, her expression enough to make him break his polite smile to a soft laugh.

"You!" was all she got out before she dashed across the balcony, pulling him into a tight hug before punching his arm. A frustrated hiss alerted her to Smurf's presence who she was soon scratching to satisfied clicks, commenting on how big he had gotten. When she stood again she tilted her head curiously at Loki. "So how did you get here?" she inquired.

"Well my theory that Smurf has similar origins to the Tesseract is correct." Loki began, smiling at the creature that looked between its two favourite people. "Apparently when it left one of its eyes behind it was leaving a way to travel back here. He should also be able to send us back." He explained as Darcy looked at the bracelet on her wrist. Her facial expression suggested she was impressed.

"That's a pretty cool new method of sneaking out through the window." She commented with a sneaky smile playing on her full lips. Loki frowned slightly. "So my good sir, should we ditch these losers for a bit?" she asked, already stepping inside but sticking to the shadows as she made her way for one of the exits.

"Apparently I am if I care to or not." Loki told mostly himself. He ducked his head in slight apology when he realized the metal creature with a glowing blue eye caught the attention of a few people. Obviously they had also spotted Darcy however and deemed her trustworthy of monitoring the man they didn't trust or just maybe they were so well relaxed that they didn't want to ruin that by chasing him down.

Either way he found himself outside a diner a few blocks away being treated to greasy food as they went and found a park. Smurf seemed fascinated by the place, running around and inspecting every tree like an excited alien dog. As gracefully as she could, Darcy dropped herself onto a swing holding out her tray of chips and a burger to Loki.

"One more entrée involving half a cracker and I think I would have screamed." She commented obviously famished. A smirk played onto Loki's face when he easily fell into the act of teasing her.

"Trying to compete with Thor are we?" he inquired having to duck as she threw her purse at him, hearing it land some distance away. In spite of the offence she had a smile on her face while they finished the rest of the food, Loki sitting on the swing next to hers with a lot more dignity than she had managed.

"How is Asgard?" she asked after a moment of silently swinging, staring at the sky. He knew that like Jane, she had a strong want to visit their marvellous city though he was a bit uncertain of her reasons. But she wasn't asking about it specifically, she was asking how he was going with his redemption.

"No one really talks to me other than my family. Everyone else avoids me. A few have even gone to Odin requesting I be locked up again." He replied. Darcy felt that if he had been telling her such things six months ago he would be overcome with rage at the insults but now he spoke of them only with tiredness. It was a long and weary road to replace broken trust. His eyes clouded over when he recalled that one of those people had been Sif.

"When Jane and I can eventually visit, you should point them out to me." Darcy told him with her lips pursed. While she had been the one encouraging him to ignore such things she was the one who chose to be offended in his lack of it. Loki smiled warmly at her for that.

"I don't know how you'd go fighting Asgardians." He commented sincerely. She protested, indignant, telling him all about the training she'd been doing to make herself a better warrior. He was told that if she wasn't in a long ball gown she'd drop him then and there to prove her point. He'd feigned fear and forfeited with a smile and a laugh that got a light punch in the arm in return. As their laughter died down he looked at her. She looked amazing. More than ever it was apparent to him that the one person he had become friends with since his fall was also someone he would love to court but he found himself uncertain, afraid not only of rejection but ruining what they had if he made a move. She glanced to him, obviously aware that he had been staring and he looked down at his hands like they could give him an answer. With a human expression in his mind, "to hell with it" being the one, he took a deep breath and took the risk.

"You're beautiful, you know?" he offered with such sincerity in his voice Darcy blushed and couldn't make the usual sassy comment she made to such statements. With a girly grin trying to force its way onto her face she gave him the look over, deliberately.

"You're not so bad yourself." She told him honestly. They laughed lightly falling again into silence until Darcy's phone buzzed from her purse somewhere out in the darkness. She pulled a thoughtful expression, not immediately going after it. "Probably shouldn't have done that." She commented before forcing herself up to stumble out into the darkness, finding her purse after a moment and retrieving the item Loki had once turned into a block of chocolate.

"Should have kept it that way." He muttered to himself just as Smurf ran up, returning from his inspection. Loki noticed he had a few agents trailing him and that his trust had worn out. It was time to head back. He sighed glancing to Darcy as she turned around.

"It's Jane. She's wondering where I am. Guess we're busted. Time to walk shamefully back in through the front door." She explained referring to her earlier comment about windows although she knew Loki didn't follow. She noticed his expression mirrored the disappointment she felt that their night of fun was ending before it had even begun although she was slightly thankful as well. He was obviously interested but like her, he seemed to have trouble getting around the friend concept. "Think you'll be able to do this again?" she asked after a moment.

"Maybe although I won't risk it often. Even now I'm worried that I've been caught by his golden gaze." He replied mostly to himself as he glanced to the sky. He didn't dare speak Heimdall's name in case that caught his attention if he hadn't yet glanced over Midgard and spotted him.

"Don't be too much of a stranger." Darcy commented, swinging awkwardly. Loki was oddly reminded of their last departure and how sad he had felt after it. He could still remember how hard she struggled to hold back tears and it seemed she was about to do the same. He smiled warmly at her before it changed to a smirk. He motioned to Smurf who wrapped itself around one of his legs.

"One thing before I go." He said in a tone that stressed it was absolutely crucial she listened to him. Darcy looked up at him with focus in her eyes as if preparing to remember something really important. That was what made the kiss he planted on her lips all the more satisfying. He felt her body tense in shock and knew even with his eyes closed that hers were wide open. Then he had pulled away with a grin she would only associate with the god of mischief, waving as Smurf transported them back to Asgard. Darcy stood there for the longest time, blushing at thin air before she took a brisk, humiliated walk to the hotel she was staying at with Jane, texting her a message that informed her friend that she wasn't feeling well. She felt if she returned to that party what had happened would somehow have magically tattooed itself onto her face for all to see and she didn't want to deal with that even if it was all in her head. She was completely unaware of the agents that had been watching them so thought it was best to brood on her secret in a closed room where the heat of her face could be muffled by a pillow. She had definitely not expected that.

Back on Asgard, a tall imposing man dressed in golden armour watched unnoticed, as Odin's youngest son crept through one of the pavilions with a strange creature running about ahead of him. It took all of Loki's being not to jump when he finally detected Heimdall watching him. He stood as still as a statue waiting for the man to say something. When he hadn't after a decent amount of time Loki gave in.

"Just out for a midnight stroll." He offered knowing that even though it was hopeless to try and talk his way out of it he was going to try anyway.

"Dressed appropriately this time." Heimdall commented and Loki could almost swear he saw the faintest hint of a smirk on his face. He didn't know how to respond so instead nodded uncomfortably and turned to walk less sneakily back to his quarters. He barely heard what Heimdall said next and even then, wasn't sure if he'd heard correct. "Maybe there's hope for you yet."

((A/N: Thank you all. Hope you enjoyed the fluff and fun. I won't have internet connection for a while so I'll hopefully be back in a fortnight or so with the next story. Constructive criticism is cherished. Jaquelinelittle: Thor and Loki need to return to Asgard. Thor more so, he is the successor to the throne. I'm also pretty certain S.H.I.E.L.D is worldwide although I haven't researched them so much. Smurf's offshoot is just for transport and to see Darcy but it does have another purpose that you'll just have to wait to find out. :D Again, thanks all.))


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